Vikings Rule, Packers Drool

We are just one week removed from the commencement of hostilities in the NFL, and Sports Illustrated this week projected division winners.

In the NFC, SI projects the Eagles in the east, the Rams in the west, the Vikings in the north, and the Panthers in the south. In fact, the brain trust at the magazine picked the Panthers to win the Super Bowl. I guess I will never understand the media love affair with Carolina. A solid team with great defense and a fierce running back to be sure, but Super Bowl Champions?

We'll see?

The Eagles have peaked in my opinion and will not see another Super Bowl, and perhaps not another NFC championship. Terrell Owens is a destructive force, and I know destructive force having endured the Randy Moss bi-polar years here in Viking Country. In fact, the Eagles played some of their best games last year when Owens was hurt.

In the AFC, the predictions are the Patriots in the east, which should come as no surprise, the Ravens in the north, the Colts in the south, and the Chiefs in the west.

I like to see the Ravens do well because I like Billick. As an OC here he engineered the Vikings record setting 1998 season, which shattered records for yardage and points. It was Moss' rookie season and it was a trip. It will probably be the only NFC championship game I will ever get to see in person and despite the loss to the Falcons, it was quite an experience.

The Vikings are struggling with penalties in the pre-season and I expect they will struggle to a lesser degree through at least the first half of the season. But my impression of the defense is that it is vastly improved and QB Daunte Culpepper is as strong as ever. His accuracy is spot on and he appears to not be missing Moss at all. To the contrary, he is facing more normalized defenses and does not have to contend with rolling coverages and tricky formations.

So. Will it be a battle between the Colts and Pats in the AFC? Probably so. The Steelers are the wild card I think. They could be a force if Roethlisberger can surpass his strong rookie season. San Diego could also come of age this year.

In the NFC, I think the Rams are over. The Panthers will peter out and the Falcons won't stay healthy. All bias aside, I think the Vikings are going to surprise alot of people this year. They might even make the big dance, but their division is weak and will not go far in preparing them for the playoffs.

Then again, who knows? The NFC is wide open and the Vikes have as good a shot at the Super Bowl as any other team.

Does a man dare dream?